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Morgan Cottrell of the Lady Raiders goes low for a dig in an LKC volleyball match with Calhoun County Thursday at Mt. Zion as teammate Annie Hodge watches the action. |
By JIM COOPER
Sports Editor - Sidney wasn’t there on Friday night.
The visiting sideline might have been crowded with players, coaches, managers and others during the Roane County-Ravenswood football game at Flinn Field, but there was a huge void where Sidney should be.
You see, Sidney Boggs, unquestionably the most recognizable and beloved figure in Roane County, had died earlier that day from cancer at the age of 59.
Sidney was a good photographer, accomplished enough, in fact, to have won several awards from the West Virginia Press Association for work that was published in this newspaper. Just last month, he earned first place for a shot he had taken at a wrestling match.
But it was the quality of his heart, not his photographs, which endeared him to so many during the course of a career that spanned four decades.
Sidney lived for sports and the kids who played those sports. Going to the games gave him a chance to be around those kids, and he treated them like they were his family.
For a man with none of his own, they were his family.
Sidney’s eyes would light up when he walked onto a field or into a gym. Kids would come up to him like he was the Pied Piper, ready to share a high five, a hug or a bad joke.
And when some of those kids needed more, he was there for them. When no one else would listen, Sidney would. He had a way of making them feel like they were the most important person in the world, because to him, they were.
He talked countless kids into sticking with sports when they were ready to quit, encouraging them with the same positive attitude that stayed with him to the end. Even during his final days, when the ravages of cancer were most cruel, he assured me, “Jim, I feel good,” when it was obvious he did not.
Before each season, no matter the sport, he was certain that the local team — whether at Spencer or Roane County High — was going to be a world-beater.
“That volleyball team is going to be tough,” he’d say, nodding his head confidently and adding extra emphasis when he came to the word “tough.”
Sidney believed it because he believed in the kids – his kids. Over the years, he gave away hundreds of photos to those kids and their coaches. He also bought big containers of bubble gum for wrestling and baseball teams and supplied the hot dogs for team cookouts. He worked as an official at track meets, umpired youth softball games and drove hundreds of miles to exchange game films that helped the Yellow Jackets, and later the Raiders, win on Friday nights.
But on this past Friday night, Sidney wasn’t there. Or was he?
During the evening, an adult woman who had known Sidney since she was in high school, cried when she learned her friend had passed away. She shared with me that Sidney had called to encourage her several times during her recent illness.
Later, a Raider yelled from the sideline to a teammate on the field, “Do it for Sidney!”
No, Sidney wasn’t there Friday, but his spirit was everywhere.
As we carry on without him, the best way to honor his memory is to remember those kids that he loved so much. We need to be there for them, showing them kindness, encouraging them, and believing that they are the very best.
If we can do that, then Sidney, my friend — everybody’s friend — will still be gone, but will never be forgotten.
